Kristine Binder

One step at a time

January 4, 2012September 13, 2020 Kristine Binder

Lots of people as me how I started running. One step at a time I tell them. Really that is how I started …that and a few dares!

We got a new dog a few years back. She was a puppy with all the energy of a toddler and no place to expend said energy. Thus we started our daily walks. I thought this would be great exercise for me and a good way to wear her out. We would walk a lap or 2 around the park. Weeks went by and I was not breaking a sweat and she had energy to spare so I started jogging from one tree to another on part of our loop. It wasn’t much but she seemed to like it. Each week I extended the distance to a further tree. Then came the dare.

I buddy of mine dared me to run a 5K….really? 3 miles?! I couldn’t run a lap much less 3 miles but not one to back down…I agreed. I training using the Couch to 5K program all summer long. My goal race was the local Turkey Trot. I ran and WALKED a lot that summer and when the weather was cool enough took the puppy along. It was good for both of us.

Fall came and so did the race. I realized that the race was not really timed so I signed up for one the weekend before, another local Turkey Trot. My kids came out to cheer me on. It was a chilly morning but I did it! I ran (and walked a bit) a 5K! I crossed that first finish line crying like a baby. I didn’t think I could ever do something like move for 30 minutes straight! I ran the other TT the following week and amazed myself again! What was I doing?!

I continued to run 5k’s through the following spring and summer only to be challenged again in the fall. My cousin (also one of my very best friends) threw down the gauntlet. She said if I would train for a half marathon, she would pay for my entry fee. My parents gave me the gift of airfare for Christmas and another adventure was born. I trained through the cold Chicago winter and in March flew to Virginia Beach and ran the Shamrock Half Marathon. It was another milestone in the journey.

What next, you ask….well…..a full marathon. What else?! Really? Who am I kidding. I was as stunned as the next person the night I registered for the Chicago Marathon and hit the send button. It is a pretty daunting task to think about running 26.2 miles. So….I was not going to lose my money. I found the Hal Higdon training plan and set off on preparing for the longest run of my life. the training was never easy. It was rarely fun. I was alone A LOT. My ipod kept me company but I didn’t have anyone to ask advice or council me on what I was doing right/wrong. I was a total trail and error runner….well…I really didn’t think of myself as a runner. I felt like an impostor. Just someone who looked like a runner sometimes.

I saw some of the same faces on the trail each Saturday when I ran. I just would notice the same folks passing me by making it look effortless and think…Really? They are chatting and laughing! I am struggling to get my breath!

So I lined up and ran my first marathon. Crossing the finish line was life changing for me. (more on that in another post) I was on a path that I never saw coming. I was at a fork in the road and I took the road less traveled for a person like me.

So here I sit….3 marathons, several half marathons and countless other races under my belt and I am still excited to run. I look forward to lacing up my shoes and hitting the road less traveled. I do not know what adventure lies ahead along the road but what I do know is this…my life and running will evolve one step at a time.

Peace.

Meet Esther

January 3, 2012 Kristine Binder

Meet Esther. She is my new friend and mentor. A dear friend introduced her to me and we are going to become good pals this year…I just know it.

To me Esther is a reminder of many things…

to quiet the negative voices in my head.
to stop talking and listen.
to be still and listen to my body.
to think before I speak.
to choose my words…perhaps saying nothing.
More things will come to mind I am sure!

Esther is strong, powerful and quiet. She was a force to be reckoned with in the Bible. I am hoping she helps me to be the same and reveals more as we get to know each other. I hope you find a friend and mentor this year. One that helps you grow and change helping you to become the best you can be! Peace.

New Year = New Goals

January 2, 2012 Kristine Binder

It is January and time to begin a new year with new goals. I dislike calling them resolutions because I never live up to my resolutions. Goals, however, I like. They are concrete and I can see myself getting closer or further from the goal with each passing day.

So here are some of my goals for this year in no particular order:
1. Maintain a level of ‘half marathon ready’ fitness. This means keeping the long runs up and and weekly mileage at a consistent level. No slacking off!
2. Finish another Chicago marathon. Enough said.
3. Lead another group of runners through the training process of CARA and prep them for the Chicago Marathon.
4. Work towards being a kinder, gentler mom and teacher.
5. Continue to share the joy and positive message of Girls on the Run.
6. Inspire others to do more and be more than they thought possible.

I do not know who will read this blog but my plan is to try and post several times a week. I will share my journey as a prepare for and run races of all distances this year. I hope that through these posts that some will be inspired to do more and be more than they thought possible!

What are your goals for the year? What do you want to accomplish this year? We have 364 more days …..
Peace.

Dad

June 20, 2011 Kristine Binder

My dad…he is big man with a larger than life presence. He is set in his ways and does not like change..too much. I am so much like him. I never really thought about it much but we are so much alike.

I know Father’s Day is about honoring dad and giving him gifts….but I thought about the many gifts he has given me…some better than others!

*A love and appreciation for great jazz music. I grew up thinking Dick Buckly was a family friend and looking forward to Sunday afternoons of sports and good music with my dad.
*An appreciation for classical music.
*A love of sports…Bears Football to be exact. Fall and Winter Sunday afternoons were spent listening to the sounds of jazz and curse words!
*A palate that knows good wine and Great Bar-B-Que. Nothing compares to my dad’s ribs! No one other than my daughter is privy to his grilling secrets.
*the love of a good book. There is nothing like a comfy chair and a good book. No e-reader compares to the weight of a good book in your hands.
*coffee is the only way to start a day.
*gadgets…new technology is always fun!
*Photos – pictures are worth so much and having a good eye is a gift. Taking good photos takes time and effort…but the payoff is priceless.
*a love of the water and mountains. I love to be near or on the water or mountains. Growing up water skiing, snow skiing and boating created a love affair with nature.
*Family. It is not always pretty or fun but family is important. Being close to family is essential.
*The garden. My dad has a green thumb with the smallest of trees…bonsai. The craft of these trees allows people to see another, more gentle side of him. Allowing things to grow the way they wish yet supporting and guiding them along the way is an art.

There are so many other things I have learned from…or in spite of…my dad. He is one amazing guy and I am thankful every day (some days more than others) that he is there for my family.

The Dash

February 15, 2011 Kristine Binder

The Dash by Linda Ellis

There was a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning to the end

He noted that first came her date of her birth
And spoke the following date with tears
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years

For that dash stands for all the time
That she spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not how much we own;
The cars the house the cash
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard.
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
To consider what’s true and real
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

We’d be less quick to anger
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect
And more often wear a smile
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.

So when your eulogy is being read
With your lifes actions to rehash
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?

Cos that dash stands for all the time
That you spent alive on earth
And only those who loved you
Know what that little line is worth

It matters not how much you own
The cars the house the cash
What matters is how you live and love
And how you spend your dash

What matters is how you live and love
And how you spend your dash.

How have you spent your dash today? When you die, what is the one think that you want to be remebered for/by? This has been om my mind a great deal lately…..